The present disclosure relates generally to audio-based display indicia in media playback and, more specifically, to methods, systems, and processes for automated audio-based display indicia activation in media playback based on viewer preferences.
A video or other media may include audio-based display indicia, such as subtitles or closed captions. The subtitles or closed captions can provide a translation or a transcript of the spoken dialogue and/or sounds in the content of the media that is played back, such as a video, and, optionally, the audio-based display indicia may contain other information to provide context and/or indicia to a viewer regarding the content of the media. Closed captions may be useful to hearing impaired viewers. Subtitles may be useful for viewing foreign language videos or for viewing videos in a noisy environment.
When volume level changes during media playback occur, it can be hard to understand the characters at all times. In some scenes the characters may be speaking at an audible level, but in other scenes the volume level may be too quiet for a viewer to hear clearly. Characters may also speak too quietly compared to the other audio tracks of the media content (e.g., as compared to music, sound effects, etc. that are part of the media content) for a particular viewer to hear the spoken aspects clearly. For example, this may be especially problematic in action/thriller movies that switch between very loud action scenes and quiet calm scenes. Further, viewers with hearing impairments may only be able to hear at certain volumes or frequencies. A viewer may turn on, activate, or enabled audio-based display indicia, but the audio-based display indicia presented on the screen may obscure the view of the screen and/or detract from the overall viewing experience. Further, actively enabling and disabling the audio-based display indicia may be cumbersome or difficult for a viewer.